January 12-16

Wrapping up another week of learning and loving first grade! 

Check out some of this week's happenings...

Reading

This week in reading we finished our non-fiction text unit and spent time reviewing identify text features, main idea, and details.  The children practiced finding supporting details (evidence) on webs and continued marking their noticings during "me" and "we" time reading.  We also kicked off our new unit "Story Elements". Looked at...

• Why do readers read fiction?
• What are story elements?

Question:  Name one difference between fiction and non-fiction texts?

Writing

This week in writing we continued crafting our first non-fiction animal books.  We worked on...

• adding facts to our books
• elaborating on facts
• using pictures to support the facts
• adding labels & diagrams
• crafting an introduction

Question:  What was one thing you added to your non-fiction book and how will it help your reader understand your topic?

Math

We continued counting, organizing, and inventorying items this week.  Our activities included...

• class inventory charts
• reviewing combinations of 10
• recording packs of 10 (noticing place value of 1's and 10's)
• collecting groups of 5 &10 (counting stamps)

Question:  Which counting strategy helped you count most quickly?  Why?

In the number 86, how many tens and ones are there?  How do you know?

Science

In science we continued looking at balancing and weighing but moved on to these new topics...

• exploring equal arm balances
• comparing objects with equal arm balances
• ordering objects by weight

Question:  In order to achieve balance will I need more or less counter weight for heavier items using an equal arm balance?

Upcoming Events

1.19-No School
1.21-Musical at 2:45

1.22-Musical at 7:00

1.27-Author Judy Young visits